What's happening?

Week Ending June 8

In Language Arts: (Wyman) This week we learned about sonnets and identifying rhyme schemes. We talked about the poetry terms meter and foot, and we wrote our own sonnets. We also prepped for our next literature circle meeting which will take place on Friday, 6/7. (Warren) We have been having fun writing haiku, and creating 'found' poems.

In Math: (Nardone) All classes have are wrapping up work and are preparing for finals which will be next week. (Lawlis) The Geometry class had a guest instructor who is a retired former NASA engineer, introducing the kids to electrical engineering and sharing some of the projects he worked on.

In Science: We have finished Chapter 2 (the final chapter) and are completing our investigations with the propeller cars...there will be an assessment next Wednesday (6/13).

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students presented their Shark Tank ideas. We're also starting to create informational items about THMS, Belfast, and Maine for Mr. H to share with students in Indonesia this summer. (Warren) This week, our class conducted research and participated in a discussion forum.

In Health and Phys Ed:

Art:

Tech Ed:

8th Grade Seminar: The students "finished up" their research on careers and we moved onto to resumes.

Week Ending May 25

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We have been actively preparing for the Salon that took place yesterday during RTI. We are now beginning our final unit of the year where students will be asked to participate in literature circles with a shared reading book and complete one writing piece each week to connect to their books. Literature Circles will meet on Fridays and students will be expected to share their writing piece at the literature circle. The menu of choices for writing pieces can be found on google classroom. (Warren) Our journey through the world of multi-genre is coming to an end. Projects are due on Friday, thus the students have been working feverishly to finish them. Next week we will delve into poetry!

In Math: (Nardone) My Algebra class is working on exponents and exponential functions. Eighth grade is working on solving systems of equations by graphing and by substitution.(Lawlis) Geometry students are working on area and volume. 8th grade math students are working on linear equations.

In Science: We completed the assessment for Chapter One...and have begun to start the first speed trials (on the long hallway track) of the Propeller cars.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Time is winding down for students to complete their 5 projects. All rough drafts are due on May 31. After that, they will need to "take action" with 2 of their projects, either at home or out in the community. (Warren) This week we learned a bit about the 1970's, including such things as fashion, politics, influential people, and events. Students created and shared a histopoem.

In Health and Phys Ed:

Art: In art class students just finished glazing their pottery, and they have begun to make a stop-motion animation video using small sculptures, objects, drawings, or other materials.

Tech Ed:

8th Grade Seminar:

Week Ending May 4

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We have been learning about bias and credibility when looking at news articles and websites. We have learned how to find peer-reviewed articles. We have been very busy working on our research for the Salon. Research notes are due May 11. (Warren) Students continue to work on their Multi-genre Projects which are due on May 25.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class has been solving systems of inequalities. Eighth grade classes have completed volume and will be starting work on surface area. (Lawlis) My 8th grade class is working linear equations including determining slope and intercepts for lines, and determining a linear equation given two points or a point and slope. The Geometry class has just finished a unit on circles and their secants, tangents, and chords.

In Science: This week we are doing our first experiments with distance and veer with our coaster cars, and discussing and observing friction.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) This was a busy week. Some project work, some current events stories, and a little volunteer work out at the garden. (Warren) We continue to study the 60's. Today our class held a roundtable discussion.

In Health and Phys Ed:

Art: Tech Ed:

8th Grade Seminar: We have been working on the difference between good and bad job interviews this week and how to communicate effectively.

Week Ending April 13

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We've been learning about common logical fallacies in order to spot them in our research and avoid using them in our argumentative essays and debates. (Warren) This week was a whirlwind of activities. We created photo essays, practiced listening skills through short story and role-playing, and completed an "Escape Room" quest which requires students to problem solve in order to obtain resolution.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class has been solving systems of equations graphically and with substitution, and will begin solving with elimination. Eighth grade classes are wrapping up volume of cylinders and cones and will begin working on volume of spheres. (Lawlis) Eighth graders in my Math class worked on inequalities and on correlation this week. Geometry students are working on a new set of theorems involving circles, tangents, chords, secants, arcs, and angle measures.

In Science:

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) More individual project work and figuring out where/when our local SDG publicity will happen. Also, we baked some Irish soda bread - gotta have some fun, right? (Warren) Students finished their slideshow presentations this week. Also, we had tons of fun playing a long- forgotten trivia game, American Trivia, that I found on my shelf. It's amazing how much these kids know!

In Health and Phys Ed:

Art: Students are working on reduction block prints! Students have begun to print and the art room is busting at the seams full of prints.

Tech Ed:

8th Grade Seminar: Just started with two new groups of 8th graders in my class this week. I introduced the syllabus, we talked about the rights and responsibilities of a student, and have worked on our inspirational quotes posters.

Week Ending March 30

In Language Arts: (Wyman) This week we used what we know about story elements, figurative language and vocabulary to escape room 218! (Warren) Writing and sharing narratives.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class has begun graphing inequalities with two variables. Eighth grade classes are beginning to work on surface area and volume. (Lawlis)

In Science: We have finished Chapter 5 in Energy (this is the last chapter in Energy) and will be assessing either on Friday or Monday (depending on the block #). We start Force and Motion next week.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students are getting settled in with the routine of working independently on their 5 projects each day. Mr. H will be interviewing each student every 5-6 days to check progress, give advice, and offer encouragement. (Warren) Learning the states and their capital cities, and practicing them by mapping, and using online games.

In Tech Ed:

In Health and Phys Ed:

Week Ending March 9

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We have completed our SEBR questionnaires to reflect on our performance in ELA. We have been reading lots of book tournament books and will vote on the Elite 8 today. We also finished our thematic essays, submitted them to Mrs. Wyman and revised our work based on Mrs. Wyman's feedback and suggestions. (Warren) All students continue to participate in the Tournament of Books "sweet sixteen" competition. We vote today to decide the "elite eight".

We also have been practicing the art of marginal annotation while reading and analyzing selected poems.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class is working on solving absolute value inequalities. Eighth grade classes are working on using the slope formula to find missing values. (Lawlis) The 8th grade class is working on linear equations. The Geometry class has been learning Trigonometry.

In Science:

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Finished up presentations about our SDG awareness project. Student groups will be out in the community soon to spread the word. We also started talking about individual projects and Shark Tank. (Warren) Students chose events, people, or inventions of the 1950's on which to create a slideshow. Our focus next week will be about life in the '50's.

In Tech Ed:

In Health and Phys Ed:

Week Ending February 9

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We are drafting thematic essays based on the dystopian short stories we have read. (Say that three times fast!) - (Warren) Students have completed their essays, and have been writing responses to various prompts including a photo prompt. All classes begin a new unit on Monday.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class is working on point-slope form and standard form of an equation. Eighth grade classes are working on writing equations and finding the slope of an equation from a graph and from a table. (Lawlis)

In Science:

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students are coming up with creative ways to make the SDGs famous in our community. (Warren) We are preparing for WWII book group presentations on Monday, and looking forward to another adventure beginning next week.

In Tech Ed:

In Health and Phys Ed:

Week Ending January 26

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We are reading and discussing the book Anthem. ELA students are working with the text "All Summer in a Day" and their assigned dystopian short story to examine and write about the theme as it develops throughout the text. (Warren) We are currently viewing the movie version of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas after having read the novel. To follow is instruction for creation of compare/contrast essays.

In Math: (Nardone) My algebra class has spent the week preparing for and taking the mid-term. Eighth grade classes are continuing to work on graphing equations and will begin working on slope. (Lawlis) 8th grade math students are working on solving equations.

In Science: We have designed our first Rube Goldberg Machines, and analyzed the types of energy transformations that occurred in the design. We will begin Kinetic and Potential Energy simulations this week.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) It was a current events week, so we had some interesting stories about what's going on in the world. We're continuing to prep for individual interviews (next week) with Mr. H about the SDGs. (Warren) Students are preparing to write book reviews about their WWll novels then present to the class as part of a book commercial.

In Tech Ed:

In Health and Phys Ed:

Week Ending January 12

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We have started creating our iMovies to showcase our personal memoirs. (Warren) All classes are reading the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas written by John Boyne. We will view the movie after completing the book, and then write a compare/contrast paper.

In Math: (Nardone) Eighth grade classes have been working on interior and exterior angles of polygons. Algebra has wrapped up Chapter 4 and is now working on writing equations. There will be a mid-term exam next week for the Algebra class. (Lawlis) Algebra and Geometry classes are taking the High School midterms next week, so we are reviewing and doing practice problems. Advanced Math is done with a long unit on percents, decimals, rates, and ratios and is moving on to a Geometry unit. 8th grade math is revising solving linear equations and will be moving on to a Geometry unit shortly.

In Science: Chemistry is finished. The Energy Unit has begun...with creating a list of 23 energies and identifying the criteria and constraints for the Rube Goldberg Machine challenge.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) We're taking the challenge to become "experts" at discussing and promoting the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) In the coming weeks we'll be taking action all around Belfast to spread the SDGs message. (Warren) While learning about the Holocaust, students are participating in book groups, reading the following books: Prisoner B- 3087 by Alan Gratz, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

In Tech Ed:

In Health and Phys Ed:

In 8th Grade Seminar: We finished up our resumes, learned about Work permits and the laws regarding the employment of minors and are taking a tour of the Hutchinson Center to learn about all they have to offer our students when they are at BAHS.

Week Ending December 15

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We are working on revising our memoirs by making them colorful! We are using four different pens to look over our piece with a specific writing trait in mind. (Warren) We are continuing our novel study, as well as creating "Goodwill Cards" ( positive messages or compliments) for all eighth-grade students and their teachers.

In Math: (Nardone) Grade 8 classes are wrapping up work on Rational and Irrational numbers and the Pythagorean Theorem. My Algebra class is continuing to work on slope-intercept form of equations, graphing, and parallel and perpendicular lines. (Lawlis) The Algebra class learned how to solve simultaneous linear equations. Advanced Math solved proportion and percent problems. 8th grade celebrated their accomplishments with exponents and square roots with a small party.

In Science:

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students have been researching for their debates next week. There are some cool topics ranging from organ donation to animal testing to dress codes. (Warren) Students had lots of fun participating in our long-awaited debate! Both affirmative and negative teams presented well-researched arguments.

In Art:

In Tech Ed: Students have been learning about the history of flight technology as well as the basic aerodynamics forces of flight. Students have also been busy constructing their airplanes in the shop. We've seen some very interesting and creative designs that will soon be tested under power.

In Health and Phys Ed:

In 8th Grade Seminar:

Week Ending December 1

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We explored sensory details by playing a mystery object game and reading examples of very detailed texts. (Warren) Blocks 1 and 3 are still reading Stargirl. There have been many opportunities for rich discussion, making predictions, and learning about author's writing style, including the use of figurative language and strong verbs. Block 2 ELA has just completed a study of figurative language.

In Math: (Nardone) Algebra class has begun working on finding the slope of a line in Chapter 4. 8th grade classes are working on finding square roots of perfect squares. (Lawlis) The Algebra class has been running linear regressions to find the line of best fit for historical data; they predict it will take 25 years for the population of Maine to reach 1.5 million. They started their own websites using HTML and CSS (thank you to the IT department for getting us setup with a development environment). The Geometry class finished a unit on Quadrilaterals. Eighth graders have been working on exponents and square roots.

In Science: We are learning the periodic table and making molecular models of various molecules.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Working on researching topics (chosen by students) and writing essays about how things evolve. (Warren) We have been working in two groups: researching, reading, and reporting out. The famous people we learned about were Amelia Earhart and George Mallory, both brave explorers who lived in the early twentieth century.

In Art: Art students have taken a color theory test and are documenting the work they have made over the course of the trimester.

In Performing Arts: Last week of trimester 1. Next week starts trimester 2. Happy holidays!

In Health and Phys Ed:

In 8th Grade Seminar: We have been working on a video project which includes information on body language, communication, positive first impressions and job interviews.

Week Ending November 9 (another short week - Veterans Day observed Friday)

In Language Arts: (Wyman) Started reading memoirs and learning about their characteristics to help prepare us for writing our own. (Warren)

In Math: (Nardone) Algebra class has begun solving equations for different variables, and my 8th grade classes have been wrapping up working with exponents. (Lawlis) Eighth graders have been working on exponents and scientific notation; Geometry class has just finished a unit on triangle congruence theorems and is moving on to Quadrilaterals. Algebra class continues to work on linear equations; Advanced Math has struggled a bit with inequalities, which we will keep coming back to periodically as we move on to problems of ratio and proportion.

In Science: Students will begin Unit B: the science of materials...lab#12.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students did a nice job of offering compliments and constructive criticism of their classmates' public service announcements. Edits will be made and we hope to have final draft products by next week. (Warren)

In Art:

In Performing Arts: Working on Broadway musical projects. They will present next week.

In Health and Phys Ed:

In 8th Grade Seminar: A new group of 8th graders started Seminar class this week. The students learned about the class, and what will be covered. Before the week is up we will begin our discussion of effective communication.

Week Ending October 27

In Language Arts: (Wyman) We started working on our book/movie comparison project for The Outsiders and students shared mini-grammar presentations. (Warren) Blocks 2 and 3 listened to The Well by M.Taylor, and block 1 finished reading A Day No Pigs Would Die by R.Peck. All groups participated in discussions and produced writing in response to these books.

In Math: (Nardone) (Lawlis) Geometry students are using theorems involving triangles. Eighth graders are working on exponents and scientific notation.

In Science:

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Students are working on creating public service announcements about the UN Sustainable Development Goals. (Warren) After having learned about the WPA, students are collaborating to create a WPA-style travel guide (slideshow) about Belfast. Students are also continuing work on their Patriot's Pen essays, which are due on Monday, October 30th.

In Art: Working with clay to make a wheel thrown bowl, vase, or plate. They are also making a relief wall hanging using slabs of clay.

In Performing Arts:

In Health and Phys Ed: Studying the effects of drugs and alcohol.

In 8th Grade Seminar:

Week of October 9

In Language Arts: (Wyman) Finishing up reading The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now. (Warren) Finishing up our book groups, looking forward to a class novel study.

In Math: (Nardone) 8th grade Math classes have been working on operations with integers, decimals, and fractions. We are about to finish up Chapter 1 in the Big Ideas book. My Algebra class just wrapped up Chapter 2 in the Algebra 1 book which covered operations with rational numbers and will begin working on solving equations. (Lawlis) Most classes are working on solving linear equations. The Geometry class is working on theorems involving polygons. We determined that a circle is a regular polygon with infinite sides.

In Science: This week we will be conducting 2 labs to identify the liquids (Lab #6) and solids (lab #7) from the unknown substance....that they separated in lab #5.

In Social Studies: (Hamlin) Finishing putting statistical data on digital maps. Will start Economics vocab. (Warren) Events that led to the Great Depression

In Art: Plaster masks in art. Students had a choice of adding their mask to a canvas board or have it be free standing. Many students are creating an animal or some kind of scene on their mask.

In Performing Arts: Studying Romeo and Juliet and working on building the set for the drama club's production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Students should not wear their best clothes, or have a change of clothes for set construction and painting for the next few weeks.

In Health and Phys Ed: Medicines and Health Care. Fitness testing. A second chance to run the

mile and take the curl-up test.

In 8th Grade Seminar: Resumes and job applications.